Psalms 12

The Faithful Have Vanished

12:1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,the tongue that makes great boasts,4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,I will now arise,” says the Lord;“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”6 The words of the Lord are pure words,like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,purified seven times.

7 You, O Lord, will keep them;you will guard us from this generation forever.8 On every side the wicked prowl,as vileness is exalted among the children of man.